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Gulf War pilot sacked for letting footballer on flight deck loses unfair dismissal claim
Comments (0) Add to My Stories Captain Pablo Mason, pictured at an earlier hearing, has lost his claim for unfair dismissal for allowing footballer Robbie Savage to sit on the flight deck
A Gulf War squadron leader sacked for allowing a Blackburn Rovers footballer to sit on the flight deck of his jet has lost his claim for unfair dismissal.
An employment tribunal panel ruled that Thomas Cook Airline Services acted fairly in dismissing former RAF fighter pilot Pablo Mason, 58, for gross misconduct in 2007.
Captain Mason was fired by MyTravel, which has since merged with Thomas Cook, after permitting midfielder Robbie Savage on to the flight deck while flying Blackburn Rovers home from a match in Finland.
Savage had asked to be allowed in to help allay his fear of flying. But Captain Mason's bosses took a dim view and sacked him from his £90,000-a-year job for breaching anti-terrorism rules. he tribunal also heard that the flamboyant former Tornado pilot was on a final warning for stripping down to his underwear during a security check and being 'abusive' to airport staff.
He maintains that one of the incidents was not investigated fully and the formal warning - which contributed to his dismissal - should not have been given.
Disciplinary action was taken following an argument between the pilot and security staff at Birmingham Airport in 2006.
Captain Mason, from Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, became 'aggressive and abusive' towards security guards after they insisted on checking his bag twice because the X-ray machine was broken, the Birmingham tribunal heard.
Speaking after yesterday's ruling, Captain Mason thanked the hundreds of people who sent him messages of support after his dismissal.
The RAF veteran, who saw action as a bomber pilot during the 1991 Gulf War, said he had 'no complaints' following the ruling.
Captain Mason, who represented himself during the proceedings, said that he had not been surprised by the ruling.
'I have been beaten in a very fair tribunal by an excellent barrister and I have no complaints at all about the way in which I have been treated,' he said.
'Unfortunately my wings were clipped and I think I will have to walk the rest of the way.'
Source
Comments (0) Add to My Stories Captain Pablo Mason, pictured at an earlier hearing, has lost his claim for unfair dismissal for allowing footballer Robbie Savage to sit on the flight deck
A Gulf War squadron leader sacked for allowing a Blackburn Rovers footballer to sit on the flight deck of his jet has lost his claim for unfair dismissal.
An employment tribunal panel ruled that Thomas Cook Airline Services acted fairly in dismissing former RAF fighter pilot Pablo Mason, 58, for gross misconduct in 2007.
Captain Mason was fired by MyTravel, which has since merged with Thomas Cook, after permitting midfielder Robbie Savage on to the flight deck while flying Blackburn Rovers home from a match in Finland.
Savage had asked to be allowed in to help allay his fear of flying. But Captain Mason's bosses took a dim view and sacked him from his £90,000-a-year job for breaching anti-terrorism rules. he tribunal also heard that the flamboyant former Tornado pilot was on a final warning for stripping down to his underwear during a security check and being 'abusive' to airport staff.
He maintains that one of the incidents was not investigated fully and the formal warning - which contributed to his dismissal - should not have been given.
Disciplinary action was taken following an argument between the pilot and security staff at Birmingham Airport in 2006.
Captain Mason, from Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, became 'aggressive and abusive' towards security guards after they insisted on checking his bag twice because the X-ray machine was broken, the Birmingham tribunal heard.
Speaking after yesterday's ruling, Captain Mason thanked the hundreds of people who sent him messages of support after his dismissal.
The RAF veteran, who saw action as a bomber pilot during the 1991 Gulf War, said he had 'no complaints' following the ruling.
Captain Mason, who represented himself during the proceedings, said that he had not been surprised by the ruling.
'I have been beaten in a very fair tribunal by an excellent barrister and I have no complaints at all about the way in which I have been treated,' he said.
'Unfortunately my wings were clipped and I think I will have to walk the rest of the way.'
Source